Thursday, 11 November 2010

Forthcoming Argento titles on Arrow Video

Those too-cool-for-school folks over at Cult Labs and Arrow Video have raised the bar yet again with the announcement of several forthcoming Argento titles next year.

Kicking things off will be a beautifully designed and jam-packed two disc special edition of Argento’s undisputed giallo masterpiece, Deep Red, on Blu-ray and DVD in late November/early Dec 2010.

As well as the exquisitely lurid new artwork that champions each release from Arrow Video, this special edition of Deep Red also contains a 2 sided fold-out poster, an exclusive collector’s booklet featuring brand new writing on Deep Red by Alan Jones, author of ‘Profondo Argento', a brand new transfer of the Director’s Cut in High Definition with an introduction by composer Claudio Simonetti.

There are a number of brand spanking new featurettes too, such as Rosso Recollections – Dario’s Deep Genius, Lady in Red: Daria Nicolodi remembers Profondo Rosso and Music to Murder For! Claudio Simonetti on Deep Red. Other special features include several trailers and a tour of the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome with long time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi.

Also due out early next year with the now unmistakable Arrow Video treatment, is Argento’s directorial debut, the chic and shocking The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Here’s a peek at the new commissioned artwork courtesy of Rick Melton. The imagery and design are obviously inspired by the creepy covers of the same pulp novels that inspired Argento’s genre defining movie.

Nailing the giallo blueprint in The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Argento’s groundbreaking shocker combines eye-popping visuals with a seamy vein of sadomasochism and a lust for violence to create an undeniable genre classic.

And just announced today over at Cult Labs forums – Argento’s critically maligned, much misunderstood Phenomena will also be released in a special 2 disc edition on DVD and blu-ray next year. A veritable melting pot of Argento-esque themes and imagery, Phenomena unfurls as a dark and gorily violent paranormal fantasy meshed with typical traits of the giallo to create a heady, at times uneven – though never anything short of entertaining - thriller. With flies. Lots of flies. And a straight-razor wielding chimp for good measure. If there is one film that can really split opinion and fire heated debate amongst Argento’s fan base, then this is surely it.

Keep an eye on Arrow Video and Cult Labs for further details of special features to be included with these two titles. Rest assured, if the previously released Arrow Video Giallo titles are anything to go by, we're in for a real treat!

6 comments:

Unholy fucking shit! I am super f'n jealous of those covers. The Bird especially. Damn, I love all three films with the deepest blackness in my soul. This new artwork is very, very welcome. I could stare at that Deep Red cover for hours. Starting....... now!

Simon, Arrow Video have indeed released The Stendhal Syndrome...http://watchinghorrorfilmsfrombehindthecouch.blogspot.com/2010/03/arrow-video-goes-argento-crazy.html

I love the new artwork as much as you guys! And LOOK! They've just released artwork for Cat O'Nine Tails... http://www.cult-labs.com/forums/arrow-video-titles-past-present-future/3932-arrow-video-cat-o-nine-tails-artwork.html

Behind the Couch is a term used as a humorous metaphor to describe the actions that a state of fear may drive someone to: for example, a young child hiding 'behind the couch' when watching a scary film or TV show. Its use generally evokes a feeling of nostalgia: safe fear in a domestic setting.

In the case of this blog, it also denotes the reviewer hiding behind the couch in shame, due to the huge amount of trashy horror films he watches...

"Gracey approaches the material with energy and intelligence... You'll be dusting off your Dario Argento DVDs to reevaluate even the titles you didn't think you liked before." - Cinema Somnambulist

"A study that is commendably even-handed in its approach... An excellent introduction to Argento - Gracey clearly knows his stuff, and a love of all things Argento shines through on each page." - Land of Whimsy

"It’s incredible. The amount of detail, information and analysis is astounding. Beyond that the book is a treasure trove of info. 8/10." - The Toxic Graveyard

"Sure to contain something new for even the most dedicated Argento fan." - Eye for Film"Highly recommended for fans, and for those seeking to learn a little more about his movies... Make sure to check it out." - Benevolent Street

'The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.'

H.P. Lovecraft

'Like one, that on a lonesome roadDoth walk in fear and dread,And having once turned round, walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread.'

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

'A shudder through the silence creptAnd death athwart the noonlight swept…Graves closed round my path of life,The beautiful had fled;Pale shadows wandered by my side,And whispered of the dead.'

Sarah Helen Whitman

'We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.'

Stephen King

'Human beings are the only living creatures endowed with a full awareness of their own mortality.'

Alex Lickerman, Buddhist Physician

'A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the snib of the window, the latch rises. Ghosts were created when the first man awoke in the night.'